Jade Chan Adventures
by PeppermintLuv
Summary: Five years after the catastrophic events of the reawakening of the seven demon chi, Section 13 intern Jade Chan yearns for the adventures she once had with Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru. Meanwhile, Drago might have a second chance to redeem himself…
1. Chapter 1

**Jade Chan Adventures**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

A/N: I really miss the Jackie Chan Adventures series. This story will be following a slightly older Jade as she matures and grows through her new adventures. In a way, she and Drago are really alike in that they're both really ambitious, sassy, and go to great lengths to get what they want. I really think they could've been a great team if differences were put aside, so writing this is fun in that I get to explore their characters a lot more.

* * *

"But Jaaackie!" started Jade.

"I said no, Jade!" replied her uncle. He gave her a stern look. "You've already missed a week of school for these dangerous missions. I don't want you to get hurt."

Jade shot up from her desk.

"I've been on worse missions before!" protested Jade. "Maybe in a couple months I'll even get promoted to Captain."

"You've only been interning at Section 13 for a year," sighed Jackie. He pointed to the papers scattered on her employee desk. "How can Captain Black promote you if you don't finish your assignments?"

His niece scowled and crossed her arms.

Jackie pinched the bridge of his nose. Seventeen years old or not, Jade was as stubborn as ever.

The past few years were dull in comparison to all the adventures they had fighting demon sorcerers and gathering magic talismans. Jade felt herself slowly drifting into a routine at her internship with Section 13 with the magical items locked up and enemies defeated. She somewhat wished for a new villain to appear just to stir things up.

"It's a Saturday," she grumbled, slumping down on her seat. "I'd rather be out on a mission than do paperwork."

"Sorry, Jade." laughed a voice.

"Captain Black," greeted Jackie. He turned towards the man in the wheelchair. "How are your legs?"

The bald man grunted.

"Dandy as ever," he muttered sarcastically. "The doc said I should be on crutches in a few weeks."

"When can I go on a real mission?" asked Jade, ignoring Jackie's sputtering protests. "I'm always stuck here doing the dirty work."

"Jade!" exclaimed her uncle, disapproval clear in his voice.

"Eager as ever, eh?" chuckled Black. "I'm afraid I can't do much until you're done with school. Besides –" he continued over her loud groan "–Don't you think you've had your fill of the _unofficial missions?_ "

Jade never broke the habit of sneaking after her uncle and boss on dangerous assignments and expeditions since she was twelve.

"Nope," grinned Jade.

"Why don't you finish those assignments _and_ your homework first," Jackie quickly cut in. "Then we can talk to Captain Black about a beginner mission."

"Alright, alright," said Jade, unsuccessfully tidying up her papers. "You got anymore for me, boss?"

The man in question shifted uncomfortably in the wheelchair.

"Um," began Black, drumming his fingers on his knees. "There is a reason I came here to talk to you both this evening."

He cleared his throat when two pairs of eyes trained on him.

"I will be leaving at the end of the year," he said quietly.

"What!" exclaimed Jackie and Jade.

"There is a replacement," continued Black. "He'll be coming in tomorrow to get acquainted with Section 13."

"But why?!" cried Jade. "You're as healthy as a horse! You're like a muscle car! Why are you leaving now?"

"Is everything alright?" asked Jackie, running a hand through his graying hair. "You've never stopped even with your leg injuries."

Black rubbed his temples.

"It's not my choice," he sighed. "The head of the sector decided that it's best if I retire and get a younger and stronger head of Section 13. It seems I am now officially past my prime."

"But – but," stammered Jade. Her dreams of becoming the big cheese of the spy sector was crumbling to dust. "What's going to happen to you? We're a family!"

Black looked defeated.

Jade felt her chest tighten. Captain Black would be gone in the next six months and some new guy would take his place as her boss. It was not fair.

"I'm not sure," said Black. He shot Jade a small smile. "I'll be around, of course. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Jackie placed a comforting hand on his niece's shoulder.

"Come on, Jade," he said, "Let's finish up here and we'll go have dinner with Uncle and Tohru."

"Yeah," mumbled Jade numbly.

 _What am I going to do?_

* * *

Meanwhile, a fire demon sat on one of myriads of floating boulders in the dark realm.

Shendu turned over his shoulder to glare at his son, who was lounging on a rock a distance away. The little brat looked peaceful in his resting state–he might change that.

 _How long has it been?_ Thought the dragon. _A few years? A decade? Maybe three?_ He lost count. Time moved differently in the Netherworld and silence consumed most of his days when ignoring his siblings and offspring.

The fire demon narrowed his eyes. If that foolish boy had not betrayed him, the earth would be in his grasp.

 _Impudent child,_ Shendu thought to himself. _How dare he..._

"You're going to burn a hole through me if you keep that up," muttered the younger dragon without opening his eyes.

A moment later, he yelped as a pair of laser beams blasted him in the chest.

Shendu smirked as Drago got up, fists clenched.

"You got a problem, you old gecko?"

"Because of your arrogance, I am stuck in this barren realm!" growled Shendu.

"So what? It's not like you were able to do anything as a statue in the human world," the younger demon shot back. "What use were you then?!"

"You little–"

A groan from above interrupted the rest of Shendu's rebuttal.

"Will you shut up?" muttered Hsi Wu, the sky demon. "It's the same old thing every day."

Shendu growled low in his throat, glaring daggers at his son.

"I don't need to take this," scoffed Drago, turning to spread his wings and took off elsewhere.

The elder fire demon floated over to where his siblings sat in a collective group. After many years, the demon sorcerers subjected themselves to lying around on the same stone in silence for days on end.

"Insolent youth," the dragon hissed.

"Hmm," agreed Dai Gui, the earth demon. "Tell me about it. So disrespectful they are."

Shendu quirked a brow. "Pardon?"

"You dense fool!" sneered the wind demon Xiao Fung. "You mean to tell us all this time, you did not know we were able to produce children as well?"

"Well–"

"They have been living among humans for an eternity," Bai Tsa, the water demon, cut in. "Did you fail to recall that was how your own son was until you awakened his true nature?"

Shendu stepped back, not wanting to risk the wrath of his siblings.

"They have forgotten their true heritage," lamented Tso Lan, the moon demon. "Having lived among the mortals for so long."

" _Saaay,"_ drawled Hsi Wu, a sinister grin stretching ear to ear. "This gives me an idea."

"What are you thinking, brother?" inquired Po Kong, the mountain demon.

Shendu regarded the sky demon with a wary glance. Surely he couldn't be thinking of...

Hsi Wu cackled, rubbing his claws together gleefully.

"We'll need the help of our dear nephew."

* * *

TILL NEXT TIME!


	2. Chapter 2

**Jade Chan Adventures**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

A/N: I really miss the Jackie Chan Adventures series. This story will be following a slightly older Jade as she matures and grows through her new adventures. In a way, she and Drago are really alike in that they're both really ambitious, sassy, and go to great lengths to get what they want. I really think they could've been a great team if differences were put aside, so writing this is fun in that I get to explore their characters a lot more.

* * *

"But Jaaackie!" started Jade.

"I said no, Jade!" replied her uncle. He gave her a stern look. "You've already missed a week of school for these dangerous missions. I don't want you to get hurt."

Jade shot up from her desk.

"I've been on worse missions before!" protested Jade. "Maybe in a couple months I'll even get promoted to Captain."

"You've only been interning at Section 13 for a year," sighed Jackie. He pointed to the papers scattered on her employee desk. "How can Captain Black promote you if you don't finish your assignments?"

His niece scowled and crossed her arms.

Jackie pinched the bridge of his nose. Seventeen years old or not, Jade was as stubborn as ever.

The past few years were dull in comparison to all the adventures they had fighting demon sorcerers and gathering magic talismans. Jade felt herself slowly drifting into a routine at her internship with Section 13 with the magical items locked up and enemies defeated. She somewhat wished for a new villain to appear just to stir things up.

"It's a Saturday," she grumbled, slumping down on her seat. "I'd rather be out on a mission than do paperwork."

"Sorry, Jade." laughed a voice.

"Captain Black," greeted Jackie. He turned towards the man in the wheelchair. "How are your legs?"

The bald man grunted.

"Dandy as ever," he muttered sarcastically. "The doc said I should be on crutches in a few weeks."

"When can I go on a real mission?" asked Jade, ignoring Jackie's sputtering protests. "I'm always stuck here doing the dirty work."

"Jade!" exclaimed her uncle, disapproval clear in his voice.

"Eager as ever, eh?" chuckled Black. "I'm afraid I can't do much until you're done with school. Besides –" he continued over her loud groan "–Don't you think you've had your fill of the _unofficial missions?_ "

Jade never broke the habit of sneaking after her uncle and boss on dangerous assignments and expeditions since she was twelve.

"Nope," grinned Jade.

"Why don't you finish those assignments _and_ your homework first," Jackie quickly cut in. "Then we can talk to Captain Black about a beginner mission."

"Alright, alright," said Jade, unsuccessfully tidying up her papers. "You got anymore for me, boss?"

The man in question shifted uncomfortably in the wheelchair.

"Um," began Black, drumming his fingers on his knees. "There is a reason I came here to talk to you both this evening."

He cleared his throat when two pairs of eyes trained on him.

"I will be leaving at the end of the year," he said quietly.

"What!" exclaimed Jackie and Jade.

"There is a replacement," continued Black. "He'll be coming in tomorrow to get acquainted with Section 13."

"But why?!" cried Jade. "You're as healthy as a horse! You're like a muscle car! Why are you leaving now?"

"Is everything alright?" asked Jackie, running a hand through his graying hair. "You've never stopped even with your leg injuries."

Black rubbed his temples.

"It's not my choice," he sighed. "The head of the sector decided that it's best if I retire and get a younger and stronger head of Section 13. It seems I am now officially past my prime."

"But – but," stammered Jade. Her dreams of becoming the big cheese of the spy sector was crumbling to dust. "What's going to happen to you? We're a family!"

Black looked defeated.

Jade felt her chest tighten. Captain Black would be gone in the next six months and some new guy would take his place as her boss. It was not fair.

"I'm not sure," said Black. He shot Jade a small smile. "I'll be around, of course. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Jackie placed a comforting hand on his niece's shoulder.

"Come on, Jade," he said, "Let's finish up here and we'll go have dinner with Uncle and Tohru."

"Yeah," mumbled Jade numbly.

 _What am I going to do?_

* * *

Meanwhile, a fire demon sat on one of myriads of floating boulders in the dark realm.

Shendu turned over his shoulder to glare at his son, who was lounging on a rock a distance away. The little brat looked peaceful in his resting state–he might change that.

 _How long has it been?_ Thought the dragon. _A few years? A decade? Maybe three?_ He lost count. Time moved differently in the Netherworld and silence consumed most of his days when ignoring his siblings and offspring.

The fire demon narrowed his eyes. If that foolish boy had not betrayed him, the earth would be in his grasp.

 _Impudent child,_ Shendu thought to himself. _How dare he..._

"You're going to burn a hole through me if you keep that up," muttered the younger dragon without opening his eyes.

A moment later, he yelped as a pair of laser beams blasted him in the chest.

Shendu smirked as Drago got up, fists clenched.

"You got a problem, you old gecko?"

"Because of your arrogance, I am stuck in this barren realm!" growled Shendu.

"So what? It's not like you were able to do anything as a statue in the human world," the younger demon shot back. "What use were you then?!"

"You little–"

A groan from above interrupted the rest of Shendu's rebuttal.

"Will you shut up?" muttered Hsi Wu, the sky demon. "It's the same old thing every day."

Shendu growled low in his throat, glaring daggers at his son.

"I don't need to take this," scoffed Drago, turning to spread his wings and took off elsewhere.

The elder fire demon floated over to where his siblings sat in a collective group. After many years, the demon sorcerers subjected themselves to lying around on the same stone in silence for days on end.

"Insolent youth," the dragon hissed.

"Hmm," agreed Dai Gui, the earth demon. "Tell me about it. So disrespectful they are."

Shendu quirked a brow. "Pardon?"

"You dense fool!" sneered the wind demon Xiao Fung. "You mean to tell us all this time, you did not know we were able to produce children as well?"

"Well–"

"They have been living among humans for an eternity," Bai Tsa, the water demon, cut in. "Did you fail to recall that was how your own son was until you awakened his true nature?"

Shendu stepped back, not wanting to risk the wrath of his siblings.

"They have forgotten their true heritage," lamented Tso Lan, the moon demon. "Having lived among the mortals for so long."

" _Saaay,"_ drawled Hsi Wu, a sinister grin stretching ear to ear. "This gives me an idea."

"What are you thinking, brother?" inquired Po Kong, the mountain demon.

Shendu regarded the sky demon with a wary glance. Surely he couldn't be thinking of...

Hsi Wu cackled, rubbing his claws together gleefully.

"We'll need the help of our dear nephew."

* * *

TILL NEXT TIME!


	3. Chapter 3

**Jade Chan Adventures**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters

A/N: Thanks for reviewing! The past two chapters were warm ups, but this one gets the action going.

* * *

 _"I'm late!"_

"But you haven't packed your lunch yet!" called Jackie as his niece made a mad dash for the door, nearly knocking over an antique vase in the process. He hastily caught the wobbling porcelain before it could fall of its pedestal. "Honestly, if you would stop staying up late to play video games…"

"Er, no time to talk–gotta run! Bye!" waved Jade as she sped out, leaving a puff of dust in her place.

"Aiyah! No running in Uncle's shop!" shouted the old man from the balcony, waving a bony fist like a flag. Jackie only shook his head.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man," panted Jade as she vaulted over a fence. "Mrs. Carter's going to kick my butt if I'm late for another test!"

 _I have to find a shortcut,_ she thought. The brunette quickly zigzagged through the alleyways until she came out on the other side of the street. Soon enough, the old junkyard came into view. Jade smirked. _Aha!_

"Now I just gotta–" she froze. Something was appearing in the sky. It looked like a red tear.

Suddenly, a figure dropped out of the portal and landed on its feet amongst the mounds of steel and rust. It cackled.

"Drago?!" gasped Jade, backing into the wall.

The demon's back stiffened. He slowly turned around to face her.

"Ah, how quaint that I happen to run into my _favorite person,_ " he exclaimed, grinning. "Hey there, Jade… _miss me?"_

The brunette slowly edged toward an open exit as the dragon advanced on her.

"What happened to you?" stuttered Jade. "You look all… _normal_."

"Glad to hear that my _good looks_ are up to your standards, Chan," scoffed Drago. He suddenly smirked and gave her a once-over. "Can't say the same for you, though."

Jade bristled at the insult and felt the familiar banter rise with her ire.

"Oh yeah? At least I don't have a scaly skin condition, lizard lips!" she shot back. Big mistake.

Drago's eye twitched.

"Skin condition this!" he shouted, opened his mouth, and blasted a huge fireball at her. Jade gasped and leapt out of the way just as the blaze hit the wall behind her, creating a gaping hole.

"Ehehe, maybe math test can wait," Jade chuckled nervously before immediately deciding to book it for the shop.

"Look out, world! Drago's back in town!" he exclaimed, shooting fire into the air.

* * *

Jade slammed the antique shop door open, panting.

"Jade? You're back already?" asked Jackie. He took in his niece's state of disarray. "What's the matter?"

"Guys, we need to–" she began, but was thrusted forward by a huge explosion. Behind her, Drago stepped out from the middle of the dust and fire, grinning madly.

They gasped and immediately dashed behind a large stone table as he shot another fireball at them.

"Jade, what happened?!" shouted Jackie above the explosions. "Why is Drago back?"

"More importantly, how did gecko teen lose all the powers of immortal demon chi?" questioned Uncle.

"Uh, guys? Now doesn't seem to be the best time for chitchat," said Jade. She made a grab for her pack where her net gun sat.

"Jackie!" yelled Uncle. "Keep dragon teen distracted. Tohru, get Uncle ingredients for spell!"

Tohru nodded. "Yes, sensei."

"Yes, Uncle," said Jackie. He turned to his niece. "Now, Jade you–"

Jade was already gone.

"Hey gecko boy!" shouted Jade, aiming her net gun at him. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"Jade!" yelled Jackie. He hopped over the table.

She pulled the trigger, launching a capsule at him. Drago deftly swiped his claws at the incoming object, slicing the net in two.

"You missed," he growled. Jade smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"Oops?"

Drago darted forward, only to have Jackie's foot connect to his side, sending him flying onto his back. He shot back up, tail sweeping from side to side.

"Chan," the fire demon grinned, baring his sharp fangs. "Long time no see."

"Unfortunately not long enough," scowled Jackie. He aimed a punch at Drago's head, which the dragon blocked before reciprocating with a leg sweep. Jackie jumped out of the way and grabbed his tail, swung it around and slamming him into the wall.

"How did you get out of the demon realm?" demanded Jackie. The dragon hopped back on his feet with a grunt and mirrored Jackie's fighting stance. They began to circle each other slowly.

"Got bored of that dump," responded Drago briskly. "I have bigger fish to fry."

He opened his mouth and blasted a fireball at Jackie, who yelped and leapt out of the way. Drago breathed another wave of fire, knocking the older man onto his back.

"Bad day…" moaned Jackie weakly. He glanced up to see Drago looming over him like an ominous shadow.

"Say goodbye, Chan," he smirked, flames licking at the corners of his lips.

Suddenly, he was thrust backwards onto the ground by dual blasts of green magic.

"Goodbye?" said Jackie. He turned to smile gratefully at Tohru and Uncle, who wielded their signature dried lizard and blowfish.

"That's it! You're all toast!" shouted Drago, pushing himself back on his feet for the third time in a row. The fire demon brought his hands back, only to have a thick net engulf him, locking his arms against his sides.

"Gotcha, cowboy," smirked Jade. She blew invisible smoke from the tip of her net gun.

Drago growled, struggling to get loose while maintaining his balance.

"Now, why are you back? Are you planning on unleashing demons on earth again?" demanded Jackie.

"Tch, now it's just not fun if I just tell you, would it?" sneered the dragon. He shrugged his arms, breaking loose from the binds.

"Later, Chans!" he shouted as he escaped out the hole in the wall.

The Chan clan gathered together in the middle of the wreckage.

"Where do you think he's going, Uncle?" asked Jackie, and was immediately smacked by Uncle's fingers.

"Do not ask questions Uncle don't know the answer to!" shouted the old man, pointing at the direction where the teenage dragon left. "We must follow Drago and find out his purpose!"

"Aw yeah," grinned Jade, fist pumping the air. "Finally some action!"

Tohru groaned.

The group eventually managed to trace Drago back to the old junkyard, where they found him sitting atop a tall pile of wreckage, appearing to be deep in thought.

"Figures this is where he ends up going," scoffed Jade. She recalled this was where they had first met the overgrown handbag all those years ago when he first arrived from the future. The dump had remained Drago's hideout while he was hunting demon chi as well.

Jackie whipped out around, a finger over his lips.

"Jade! I told you to stay in the car!" he whispered, hands on his hips.

His niece only blinked innocently.

"Which one?" she asked cheekily.

"Why do I even bother?" sighed Jackie in defeat. They both turned back to peer through the mounds of metal.

* * *

Drago took a deep breath. The stuffy San Francisco air felt fresh compared to the arid demon realm he was trapped in these past few years. He was finally free.

"Home sweet home," he smiled, eyeing the familiar mounds of junk cars and tires. He leaned back, linking his claws together behind his head. It felt great to be back in the human world again where there was noise and buildings and people, all the things Drago once thought he despised.

The dragon's grin slowly faded.

He had not expected to see the little squirt and her meddlesome family again so soon. Only, the "little squirt" was not so little anymore. Jade appeared to rival him in age in human years now and her height almost reached his eye level. In a way, the fire demon almost missed their old bantering.

Not that he would ever admit it.

Still, Drago could not deny the thrill and relief he felt when squaring off against the Chans earlier. Anything was better than the infinite silence and boredom he endured in the Netherworld.

Which reminded him of the reason he was here in the first place. His aunts and uncles had allowed him to return in order to awaken his demon kin.

"Alright," he muttered. "Let's give this a go."

Drago closed his eyes and concentrated on meditating for a few minutes.

Nothing.

He sighed impatiently and scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe this isn't as easy as it seems."

He briefly closed his eyes again.

…only to hear the distinct buzzing of a cell phone.

Drago's eyes flashed open. With a snarl, he opened his mouth and blasted a large fireball at the direction of the intruding sound.

An old truck exploded, revealing a surprised Jackie and Jade, the latter whom was holding the offending device.

"Um, hold please," Jade said nervously.

With a roar, Drago sent a barrage of flaming orbs their way. The uncle and niece both screamed and ducked as the metal around them melted from the heat and flaming debris blasted every direction.

"When are you Chans going to get tired of following me around?" he shouted in rage.

"Quiet! Uncle cannot perform spell with all this racket!" yelled Uncle. Tohru quickly pulled out his dried lizard and aimed it at Drago.

"Jade! Stay back," the sumo warned. He began chanting and the preserved reptile soon blasted a powerful ray of green magic at the fire demon, who swiftly dodged it.

Jade hopped off the mound as Jackie frantically searched for a makeshift weapon. She quickly glanced at her caller ID and placed the phone against her ear.

"Hello?"

" _Hello Jade, did I catch you at a bad time?"_ asked Captain Black on the other line.

"Uh, everything's peachy keen," lied Jade. She quickly covered the mouthpiece as an explosion rang in the background. The seventeen year old ducked off to the side.

"I'm just a little busy," she said. "Can it wait till later?"

" _Unfortunately, no_ ," replied Black solemnly. " _Words of a disturbance around your area had just reached Section 13. I think Trent is planning on sending a troop to go investigate soon_."

"What! No!" cried Jade. "I mean, it's just a little accident with Tohru's potions. You know how it is, Capt."

" _I'm afraid that won't stop him from paying you all a visit soon."_ said Black. " _I think he's planning to personally investigate all these supernatural occurrences."_

She could hear Jackie yelling in the distance.

"Gotta go! Talk to you later, bye!" Jade said quickly before stuffing the phone in her pocket. She swung herself over the cars just in time to see Jackie deliver a swift kick to Drago's chest, sending the latter reeling back into a mound of tires.

"Give it up, Drago!" panted Jackie, shifting back into a fighting stance. "You're not going anywhere."

The dragon in question groaned and rubbed at his aching head.

Suddenly, he froze.

Red mist clouded his vision and soon the image of Xiao Fung, the wind demon, appeared. He soon disappeared and in his place stood a gangly young man wearing baggy pants and a vest. His image, too, vanished in a moment and replaced by a stretch of landscape that revealed his whereabouts to the teenage fire demon.

Drago grinned, reaching behind to grab hold of some tires, and flung them at Jackie who fell back in surprise. The dragon shot up and dusted himself off.

"As much as I'd like to stay and catch up, I have a family reunion to plan," he said. "Catch you later, Chans!"

With a grunt, he launched himself over a pile of metal and disappeared from sight.

Jackie shot Uncle a confused look from the ground.

"What was that all about?"

Tohru shrugged.

* * *

Please read & review! To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Jade Chan Adventures**

Disclaimer: I don't own the character

A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, but I don't know if readers are finding this story boring or if they weren't interested past the first page. Hopefully more of you guys will find this chapter more enjoyable.

* * *

A bright red van rocketed through the winding city streets at breakneck speed, narrowly dodging cars and bewildered pedestrians along the way. Jade was at the wheel, rapidly turning left and right.

"'Scuse me," she said, passing a semi-truck. "Oops, sorry!" She swiftly averted a nearby fruit stand. "Coming through!"

The vehicle zoomed through a narrow alleyway, almost running over a group of teenagers playing hooky.

"Ack! Jade!" gasped Jackie, who was desperately clinging to his seat for dear life from the passenger side. "Slow down! _Gaaahhh!_ "

"Tohru! Uncle is not a seat!" came the old man's muffled yelling. Tohru hastily pushed himself off.

"Sorry, sensei."

"Niece will trash van if she keeps driving like NASCAR racer– _oof!_ " cried Uncle as he fell against the sumo's side from a rather sharp turn. Jade slammed her foot onto the gas pedal, pushing the vehicle even further.

"Don't worry, Uncle! I have my license already, remember?"

"I think I'm going to be sick," moaned Jackie, his face turning a sickly shade of green.

"Fire demon at one o' clock!" grinned Jade victoriously, spotting the reptilian figure leaping over apartment roofs a distance ahead. The red van maintained a steady pace behind the dragon as he hopped from building to building before finally landing on a patch of grass in front of a large facility.

"Isn't that your high school, Jade?" asked Tohru. Sure enough, a small announcement board on the lawn with the official school's name painted on came into view. "What could Drago be searching for there?"

"Maybe he wants his diploma?" shrugged Jade. She turned the steering wheel to a sharp left and slammed her foot down on the brakes. "Hold on tight!"

The van swiftly turned and skidded to a stop in front of the school, landing in a near-perfect parallel park on the sidewalk.

Uncle and Tohru exited the van, trying to regain control of their sea legs.

Jackie opened the passenger door, moaning and grabbing his stomach before falling face first onto the grass, lying still.

"Come on, let's see what ol' scaly is up to!" exclaimed Jade, heading for the front doors. Uncle followed behind with Tohru who hauled a carsick Jackie over his shoulder.

A few students in the hallways gave them strange looks before continuing to class.

"Thank you, Tohru," said Jackie, he gently slid of the giant's shoulder, absently patting his queasy stomach.

"No problem, Jackie."

"If Drago is here, we will need to quickly evacuate the building," said Jackie. "Something tells me Drago is not going to class for an A plus."

They did not make it very far before the shrill ringing of the fire alarm suddenly went off. Classroom doors slammed open as confused students and staff began barging towards the exit.

"That'll do," said Jade cheerfully. _Phew, math test canceled!_

"We must hurry!" exclaimed Jackie, trying to push through the crowd. The group followed right behind him.

* * *

In a small biology class, a young man by the name of Terry hunched over a small frog on his dissection plate. He sighed and poked the critter with his eraser, drawing a small croak.

Suddenly, a fiery explosion blasted from behind, knocking over desks and shattering beakers in a large gust of heat and concrete. Drago stepped out from the flames, laughing. Students shrieked and madly pushed over each to scramble for the door.

The fire alarm went off in the midst of the chaos as the dragon quickly cornered the frightened Terry between two tables.

"W-who are you?!" stammered the boy, backing up against the desks. "What do you want?"

"Hello, cousin," said Drago, the smile never leaving his face. Terry gawked him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Cousin?" he repeated, bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

Terry yelped as Drago fisted the front of the scrawny boy's shirt and lifted him off the ground until he was eye level with the fire demon.

"You'll find out in a minute. By the way, your _dad_ sends his best," he hissed, red eyes piercing into Terry's dull hazel ones. Suddenly, the boy ceased struggling and his lips slowly stretched into a malicious smile.

"Ah, I remember now," he grinned.

He sucked in a large gulp of air and Drago released him, stepping back to observe the transformation. Terry's back hunched forward even further until he was on all fours, his skin welted into a sickly blue toad-like texture, and the underside of his throat ballooned into the size of a beach ball. The wind demon child looked up, his eyes glowing red.

"Much better," he smiled, scanning his new form. "Thank you, cousin."

"Let's go," smirked Drago. "We have work to do."

At that moment, Jackie and company arrived at the pile of rubble that was once the biology classroom's wall. They hastily ran through the crumbling hole.

"Stop right there, Drago!" yelled Jackie. He then caught sight of the creature crouching on the fire demon's left. "Bwahhh! What is that?"

"No way!" exclaimed Jade. "Drago gave Terry a demon makeover?"

It reminded her of when she had absorbed the immortal demon chi which turned her into a frog-like creature, except that this thing looked far more gruesome.

"He looks very much like Xiao Fung, the wind demon," observed Tohru.

"Uncle has a very bad feeling about this," stated his sensei, gripping his blowfish tightly. He could sense the bad chi radiating off of the two demons in waves.

Terry shot his cousin a confused look.

"Who are they?"

Drago groaned.

"The Chans…a major pain in my tail," he said, shuddering. The dragon then turned to Terry and grinned. "Why don't you guys get acquainted?"

"With pleasure," croaked the newly awakened wind demon. He opened his wide mouth to suck in air, briefly pulling in the other occupants in the room towards him like a tornado.

"Run!" shouted Jackie, wide eyed.

"No need to tell me twice," gulped his niece. They scrambled out of the room just an enormous gust of wind hit the pile of concrete they were just standing on with the force of a hurricane, sending debris flying.

"Someone needs a breath mint," said Jade.

"What is that thing, Uncle?!" gasped Jackie as he dodged a chunk of plaster.

"Remove rocks from head!" yelled the old man in reply. "Toad boy must be son of Xiao Fung, the wind demon. Drago must be planning to awaken children of Demon Sorcerers!"

The toad-like demon hopped out of the room after them while cackling maniacally. He stopped to gulp in more air, the membrane under his chin expanding rapidly, and blew wind strong enough to send the hall lights flickering and lockers flying off their hinges.

Meanwhile, Drago stood on the sideline, watching with glee. He mentally patted himself on the back for finding a demon kin so soon without too much trouble.

 _You won't win this time, Chans,_ he thought. _I'll make sure of it._

Suddenly, something hit the back of the demon's head, bringing him back from his thoughts. Drago whipped around to see none other than Jade, leaning against the wall and idly tossing a thick paper wad up and down with one hand.

"Ready for round one of tail-whooping?" she smirked. "Or are you scared I'll stuff your scaly butt in the lockers again?"

Drago scoffed at the reminder of how a younger wind demon chi-powered Jade's tornado-sized burp had sent him flying into those metal contraptions in her school five years ago.

"Just you wait, Chan," he replied smoothly, shifting into a fighting stance. "It's payback time."

"What do we do, Uncle?!" yelled Jackie. They quickly cut a corner just as several dented lockers and desks slammed into the wall at the end of the corridor.

"Come out, humans!" came the cackling of Terry as he hopped closer to their hiding spot. "Come out and play."

"Uncle is not sure, must do research!" replied the old man, adjusting his glasses. He turned to his apprentice. "Tohru, we must return to shop immediately. Uncle has an idea."

Tohru nodded and heaved a large trash bin over his head, chucking it at Terry. It landed on top of the unsuspecting wind demon, causing him to topple to the ground with a painful thud.

"Jackie, distract demons," instructed the old man. "Uncle will be right back."

"Yes, Uncle," nodded Jackie. "Hurry!"

He suddenly stopped and turned back around to do a mental headcount. "Wait, where is Jade?"

Tohru and Uncle looked at each other and shrugged.

* * *

Drago swung his fist, narrowly missing the girl and creating a large dent on the wall. Jade quickly aimed a roundhouse at the dragon's lower belly, but he immediately leapt back.

"Playing dirty, eh?" he growled. "I didn't take you for that type, pipsqueak."

"Tch, shows how much _you_ know, lizard brain," smirked Jade, not taking her eyes off him.

Drago was mildly impressed. The little brat that had bested him years ago definitely improved. Her newly obtained combat skills made her a worthy adversary despite not having as much experience as her uncle.

One thing was for sure though, he would not underestimate her again.

"Alright then, let's see how well you dance," he grinned toothily. The dragon made to charge at her. As Drago predicted, Jade did not back down. Instead she barreled right at him with a drop kick, which he deftly caught and parried by tossing her over his shoulder and onto the ground.

" _Oof!"_ she grunted. Jade scrambled back wide eyed, as the fire demon slowly advanced on her with a predatory smile. She winced slightly from her now-bruised shoulder.

 _Oh man, he really means business_ , she thought. _I hope I bought Jackie enough time to get rid of Terry._

"What's the matter, Jade?" purred Drago, looking like a cat cornering a canary. "Run out of steam?"

The girl felt her back bumped against a yellow janitor's bucket behind her. She smirked.

"Not yet!" said Jade. She grabbed the wooden handle and swung the mop out in front of her, knocking the dragon's legs out from under him. He landed with a pained grunt.

"You should go see the nurse about that!" said Jade as she bolted away. Drago shot up with a growl, wondering how many times he had managed to land on his back for the day and raced after her.

 _No,_ Drago thought fiercely. Y _ou won't be getting away this time, Jade._

Jade ducked into the library behind the tall, maze-like rows of bookshelves, hoping to lose her pursuer. Knowing Drago, he wouldn't be too far behind. The girl found herself wishing she still had the talismans or the net gun she had "borrowed" from Section 13's armory room.

 _What am I doing? Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru needs me!_

Jade slowly peeked out from behind a shelf, seeing the empty corridor.

 _Coast is clear! Now's my chance_ , thought Jade. She quietly tiptoed out and slipped in between the walls of books, heading for the exit.

"I know you're in here," said a familiar voice. Jade felt her heart skip a beat. The fire demon sounded a distance away, she still had time to make a break for it. She cautiously peered over the thick tomes, trying to catch a glimpse of the dragon.

Suddenly, Jade gasped as she felt strong arms snake themselves around her from behind, crushing the girl against a firm chest.

"LET ME GO!" shrieked Jade, struggling wildly to break free from the fire demon.

"Fat chance," said Drago, tightening his hold on her. He smirked and leaned his face down so that his mouth almost brushed her ear. "You're not the only one here who knows how to play dirty, pipsqueak."

"Get your slimy claws off me," growled Jade. "You overgrown handbag!"

"Be quiet," he hissed. "Unless you want me to turn you into a pile of charcoal."

This caused Jade to still somewhat and he relaxed his grip slightly. She could feel the heat radiating off of his chest against her back. Drago could really barbeque her on the spot if he'd wanted to right now.

"What's your game, Drago?" she scowled. Jade had to hold back a shudder at their close proximity. She needed to come up with a diversion in order to get free. Her arms were pinned to her sides with his claws digging into the fabric of her sleeves.

"Come on, Jade. Isn't it obvious?" he laughed, allowing the brunette to feel the soft vibrations of his body. "I'm expecting some family visits soon and I don't need pests like you getting in my way."

"Oh yeah? Well, the J-Team's going to stop you. Just like last time!" countered Jade, struggling once again. _Did gecko boy really have to hug so hard?_

Drago's ruby eyes narrowed into slits before he lowered his head again, this time roughly shoving it against the side of her face, almost nuzzling her cruelly. He felt Jade immediately stiffen in his arms.

"I wouldn't count on that," he growled, feeling the fire rise up in his throat. At that moment, Jade grinded her heel onto his foot, causing the dragon to cry out in pain. She then immediately dug her elbow in his ribs, causing Drago to double over and loosen his arms enough for the girl to duck out from under his grasp.

Jade ran through the maze of bookshelves, dodging blasts of fire. _That was close,_ she thought. She risked a glance over her shoulder to see the dragon hot on her heels, looking furious.

 _"_ _Bad day, bad day, bad day!"_ chanted Jade frantically.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. Jade skidded to stop and turned right in between two bookstands, narrowly dodging a burst of fire.

"Hey Scaly, hope you can keep up!" taunted Jade. She quickly hopped onto a shelf and climbed up.

Drago followed her voice into that section of the library, his hands glowing with fire. He scanned his eyes over the walls of books. No sign of the brat.

"Up here!"

Drago looked up to see a smiling Jade sitting on the very top of the high shelf. She swung her legs over the other side and kicked off with all her might. The dragon felt his jaw drop as the bookshelf toppled over, causing heavy tomes to come raining down on him.

"Happy reading!" grinned Jade victoriously as Drago became buried under the huge mound of books. She raced out of the library.

Meanwhile, Jackie ducked as a locker sailed over his head. Terry growled, his webbed hands taking hold of an identical metal box and ripping it off the wall to throw at him.

"Yahh!" cried Jackie as he back-flipped out of the way. The locker landed heavily on the spot he recently occupied, leaving a spider web of cracks on the ground. _Uncle, where are you?!_ He thought frantically. _I'm getting too old for this._

"Why won't you hold still?!" shouted the wind demon as he chucked a porcelain water fountain at the cumbersome human. The archaeologist easily evaded the incoming obstacle.

"Because I don't want to die?" said Jackie, chuckling nervously.

"Jackie!"

Jackie and Terry whipped around simultaneously just as Jade's fist connected with his face, sending the wind demon flying back against the wall.

"Jade!" exclaimed Jackie with relief upon seeing his niece. He grasped her shoulders. "Where is Drago?"

"He's doing a bit of light reading right now," smirked Jade.

Jackie gave her a puzzled look, but decided not to ask further. "We need to wait for Uncle and Tohru."

"Where are they?"

Right on cue, the sound of a van pulling up right outside signaled the two's arrival. Uncle rushed in, carrying the old Chi-o'-matic he used while hunting demon chi.

"What are we going to do with that?" asked Jackie.

"Uncle tinkered with Chi-o'-matic," his uncle replied. "Chi-o'-matic can now sense presence of demon children instead of demon chi."

Tohru jogged in with a small vial of green liquid and his dried lizard.

"We have discovered a powerful portal spell," explained the sumo. "It will create a new gateway specifically for the wind demon child."

"Wow, you rock, Big T!" exclaimed Jade, fist bumping her friend. "Time to crank up the demon vacuum!"

Terry rubbed at his head, glaring at the group.

"Jackie," said Uncle. "Uncle will require something of small demon windbag!"

"It could be one of his personal belongings, like a watch or a shoe," supplied Tohru. Jackie nodded and picked up a nearby textbook.

The wind demon opened his wide mouth to suck in air when Jackie took the chance to thrust the heavy book in its stomach, causing Terry to fall down with a loud wheeze.

"Trade you," said Jackie. He quickly removed one of the demon's shoes and ran back to Uncle.

" _Yu Mo Gui Gwui Fai Di Zao_ ," Uncle began to chant as he poured some of the green liquid onto Terry's shoe. It started to glow as he aimed it at the wind demon.

"NO!" roared Drago as he caught up to the scene. But it was too late. Terry gave an inhuman shriek as a red portal slowly opened up from behind him, pulling the wind demon in. He clawed uselessly on the ground, but was eventually sucked into the vortex as it closed.

Drago lowered his head, shoulders shaking with barely controlled rage.

"Now would be a good time to run," state Jackie nervously, eyeing the furious Drago. The fire demon's head snapped up and he breathed a huge wave of fire on the ground at their feet, causing the Chan clan to hurriedly escape the burning school and into their van.

"Look like school's out for good," remarked Jade with a grin.

Jackie groaned.

The red van was slowly approaching Uncle's antique shop when everyone gasped in surprise. Jade gulped nervously. True to Black's word, a herd of official-looking black cars surrounding the front door. Agents with handheld detectors walked about and some were speaking into black walkie talkies.

At the center of the scene stood Captain Trent.

* * *

To be continued...please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

**Jade Chan Adventures**

A/N: A short chapter this week! Feedback is appreciated!

* * *

"No solicitors allowed in front of Uncle's shop!" shouted Uncle, waving a bony fist at the group of Section 13 agents floating around the door. "You want to keep looking? Take a picture!"

Jackie turned to Jade, crossing his arms.

"Jade, explain."

"What? I had no idea!" exclaimed Jade, throwing her arms up. "Captain Black did say Section 13 might check out the ruckus, but who knew Big Red would actually go all detective on Drago's demon vibes."

 _Thanks a lot, gecko butt,_ thought Jade with a scowl. Some of the agents did not even appear to have come from Section 13 either. A number of the officials were wearing uniforms and gears a touch more high tech than her sector's usual.

"Well, it might be best to keep this low key until we can explain it to Captain Black," whispered Jackie.

"I'm afraid I can't let you enter," said one official, extending a thick arm out to block their way. He was a head taller than Jackie and very bulky with dark skin.

Jackie blinked in confusion. "But we live here."

"Boss' orders," he grunted.

"Uncle does not care, he needs his rest!" exclaimed Uncle, poking a bony finger at the agent's chest. The large man merely quirked a brow, unconvinced at how the small old man shouting with so much gusto could really be tired.

Meanwhile, Jade snuck off to the side toward Trent, who was tapping a few buttons on his watch. She cleared her throat loudly to get his attention.

Trent glanced up from his watch and fixed his icy blue gaze on her.

"Ah, you are...?"

"Jade Chan. _Agent_ Jade Chan," said the brunette, crossing her arms. She conveniently decided the title had a better ring to it than _intern_. "What's with the welcome party here?"

"I assume this is your uncle's antique shop, then?" he asked coldly, raising a brow.

"Duh," scoffed Jade. "We don't appreciate coming back from a long mission to have you guys lurking on our doorstep hunting for ghosts or whatever."

"What do you think you're doing!"

Jade jumped as a large hand grabbed her shoulder. The dark skinned agent from earlier glared down at her.

He suddenly whipped his head around when Tohru's bigger hand clamped down on his own shoulder warningly. Jade had to smirk at new look of nervousness on the man's face.

"It's alright, Jackal," sighed Trent. "Leave her be."

Jade wretched her shoulder from Jackal's grasp with a glare before shifting back to the new head of Section 13.

"I'm afraid there's been a mistake," said Jackie, catching up besides Tohru and his niece. "There are no ghosts or demons here–"

"There's no mistake," Trent cut in. He turned back to pressing record some numbers on his watch. "Section 13 has reasons to believe this area has experienced extremely high levels of unknown supernatural power earlier today that requires thorough investigating."

"Er, we had a brief incident with an _intruder_ , earlier today," explained Tohru. "There were some explosives involved, but thankfully no one got hurt."

"Thankfully," concurred Trent, seeming unconvinced. He waved a gesture with his hand. Section 13 agents quickly started gathering up all their machinery into the cars. Jackal held a car door open, waiting.

"It's been a pleasure, _Agent Chan,"_ said Captain Trent. _"_ My apologies for the disturbance."

Without waiting for a reply, he stepped into a black car and Jackal got in after, slamming the door closed. The others followed suit and took off soon after one by one until only the Chan clan was left standing in front of the shop.

"Well, he seems like a ray of sunshine," stated Tohru as they stepped inside. "I wonder why he would be so interested in investigating spiritual energy."

"This does not look good at all," said Jackie, pitching the bridge of his nose. "And with Drago back and planning to unleash more demons, I'm afraid our hands will be full."

"Nosy captain should learn to mind his own beeswax," said Uncle, disappearing into his library. "One more thing! I must do research. Demons in disguise do not give off strong presence of bad chi so we will have to wait for Drago's next move until Uncle can find a new spell."

"Don't worry, Uncle," assured Jade with a grin. "Scaly won't know what's coming to him."

* * *

In a black car traveling halfway across the city, Jackal watched as the head of sector played with the little black control in concentration.

"Uh, what were we looking for at the junk shop again, boss?" asked the bodyguard, scratching his head with a massive hand. "We didn't find anything."

" _You_ didn't find anything," corrected Trent brusquely, and placed a hand on an old book lying beside him on the seat. "I've found what I needed."


	6. Chapter 6

**Jade Chan Adventures**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters

A/N: I'm surprised at how many people enjoyed that last _short_ chapter, maybe I should write shorter ones more often? Anyhow, reviews and feedbacks are appreciated as always.

* * *

Jade sighed, idly flipping channels on TV. She had not expected the onslaught of paperwork on her desk this morning coming in for work – and she still had homework on top of that, despite school being canceled for the week for rebuilding after the whole Terry incident.

Interestingly enough, there had barely seen any sight or sound of Trent as of late, quirking her suspicions. Jade frowned. The new captain seemed far too interested in the paranormal for her liking. Normally, that would be pretty cool in her book, but something just didn't feel right with her new boss.

He had left a little too quickly that other night.

But why?

She knew she had the advantage of being in Section 13 often to keep an eye out for any fishy business, but that would not be very effective if Trent was always gone with no clue as to the destination.

The next channel immediately made Jade perk up with interest.

Two muscular luchadors in bright costumes barreled at each other in a fighting ring, one of them managing to trap the other in an arm lock and flipping his opponent onto his back. Bright letters flashed across the screen, announcing the upcoming Wrestle Mania IV.

"You heard it here, folks!" grinned the announcer, flashing two rows of pearly whites. "Get ready for one of the coolest and most spectacular show of the century! Wrestle Mania is back with more muscle than ever…"

"No way!" exclaimed Jade, leaning closer to the screen. "I gotta go this."

"Each and every one of our competitors will be competing for the grand prize," continued the announcer, holding up a thick golden girdle with the Wrestle Mania logo imbedded in the center between thick silver rings. The camera slowly panned to the row of wrestlers in elaborate costumes flexing their muscles.

A girl in particular caught Jade's attention. She was huge and extremely fit, not an ounce of fat in site, posing with her fists and a smirk.

 _Whoa,_ thought Jade. _She looks like she can kick serious butt._

The next competitor on screen also caught her surprise. The muscle of the J-Team, El Toro Fuertes, posed in his trademark red and gold mask. Jade grinned, it would be good chance for her to get into the show for free with VIP passes. The perks of being friends and demon-fighting teammates with one of the stars. The door opened behind her.

Jackie came into the room, placing a laundry basket down next to the couch.

"What are you watching, Jade?" he asked, taking a closer look at the screen and frowning. "Please tell me it's not another one of your wrestling shows."

"Even better," exclaimed Jade with a grin. "It's Wrestle Mania IV, one of _the_ biggest matches ever and they're gonna be in San Diego soon. Can I go, Jackie? Pleaaase..?" She whined the last part, hands clasped together.

"Jade, you know those things are very violent," said Jackie, unperturbed by his tomboy niece's enthusiasm. Jade pouted.

"Aw come on, Uncle Jackie! It's not like we don't fight crime rings and demons every other day," she scoffed sarcastically. "Besides, El Toro's going to be there. Don't you want to go support him?"

A series of knocks at door saved Jackie from having to come up with an answer. He jogged downstairs to open the door, but to his surprise, it was not a customer.

"Hola, my friend," greeted El Torro. His loyal fan Paco, now as tall as the luchador's shoulder, poked his head out from behind with a wave.

"Hola, Senor Jackie!" he chirped, and looked around the shop. "Where is Yade?"

"Hey guys!" exclaimed Jade, coming downstairs. She playfully punched the boy's arm. "I hope El Toro is ready for some serious buttwhoop?"

Paco crossed his arms smugly. "El Torro was born ready. He is the greatest after all."

Jade scoffed. "Don't even start."

"What are you doing here?" asked Jackie, welcoming his two friends inside. "I thought you were supposed to be on your way to San Diego."

"We will be. I just came by with a little surprise," said El Toro. The wrestler smiled and reached into his jacket, pulling out four tickets. Jackie and Jade both gasped, albeit for different reasons. The latter snatched the tickets with a whoop of joy.

"YES!" she cheered. "Wrestle Mania, here I come!" Tohru ventured in with a tray of tea and Jade grabbed his arm excitedly, waving the tickets at his head. "Guess where we're going, T!"

"Ah, be careful, Jade!" cried her uncle, catching Tohru's tray before it goes flying. The sumo smiled sheepishly, setting the china on the table.

"My apologies, Jackie."

"You can come with us on our next flight," offered Paco. His mentor chuckled, rubbing his hair.

"Si. Paco can't wait to see _Senora Terra_ ," the masked man teased playfully. The boy blushed and pushed El Toro's hand off. "Am not!"

"Ooh, Paco has a crush?" cooed Jade, wagging her eyebrows at him. "How cute!" Paco rolled his eyes while Tohru chuckled at the childish spectacle.

"Thank you, El Toro," said Jackie with a kind smile. "We look forward to it."

* * *

 ** _San Diego, California…_**

"Do you really think she'll like these?" asked Paco for the third time, holding up a bouquet of poppies for his friend to inspect. The two entered the large stadium where the matches were to be held. "I mean, Senora Terra's costume is red, but what if it's not her favorite color?"

Jade groaned inwardly. The boy had been really nervous since they left the local flower shop, taking forever in picking out the right bouquet and babbling nonstop about his crush.

"Paco, for the last time, they're fine," said Jade, eyeing the fighting ring. "Now come on."

It was the night before the big event. A couple of wrestlers, including, El Toro, were gathered at the center of the empty stadium to practice. Jade felt her excitement bubbling up. Front row seats, popcorn, and wrestling...what's there not to love?

Paco scanned the group with his eyes, then stopped and his face lit up with a smile. "There she is!" he cried, pointing. Jade followed his finger with her eyes and she gasped.

" _That's_ your crush?" It was the very same girl from the ad. She was even bigger up close, lifting a heavy dumbbell with ease. "She looks like she'll be the one crushing _you_."

"Isn't she magnificent?" sighed Paco dreamily. He quickly jogged over to Terra, hiding the flowers behind his back. "Hola, senora!"

Terra glanced up to give the lanky boy a brief onceover with a disinterested look and went back to lifting weights.

"I, uh, got you these," Paco said quickly, thrusting the poppies at her. Terra looked at the bouquet and scowled.

"I hate flowers," she spat. "Especially red ones."

Jade winced as Paco seemed to wilt at the rejection. _Ouch,_ she thought as the boy trudged dejectedly back down from the ring and plopped down on an empty seat in the stands with the bouquet, cradling his head in his hands.

"Heh, I guess she's not a fan of flowers," said Jade as she sat down on the empty seat next to him. She nudged his shoulder. "Cheer up, Paco. You don't need Terra the Terrible."

"Yeah," sighed Paco. "Thanks, Yade."

Suddenly, a rumble shook the stadium. Paco and Jade glanced at each other quizzically. The north doors of the stadium burst off their hinges by a huge explosion, followed by an eerily familiar laughter. Jade immediately shot to her feet.

Drago emerged from the flames with a grin, smoke rising from the corners of his mouth. He took a mocking bow to the stunned crowd.

"Let's get ready to rumble," he declared, arms wide. Jade scoffed.

 _What a drama queen,_ she thought. Paco's jaw dropped.

"I-I thought we got rid of him!" the boy sputtered, eyes wide with shock. Jade scowled and kept her eyes on the fire demon.

"Long story," she said quickly, pulling out her phone and dialing a number. The person picked up after several rings. "Hello? Tohru, it's Jade…"

"Sorry to crash the party a little early, folks," Drago continued casually, stepping onto the large fighting ring, hands interlocked behind his back. "But I have a cousin to pick up." Some of the wrestlers immediately scrambled out of the ring in panic to escape the fire demon.

Terra's eyes widened as Drago turned to her. He did not get any further when El Toro stepped in between the two, blocking the way.

"Back so soon, demon?" growled the wrestler. "What a shame you could not stay in that dimension longer."

Drago threw his head back with a bark of laughter.

"Please," he grinned, red eyes glinting with mirth. "Over my cold, dead body."

"That can be arranged," declared El Toro, then charged at Drago with a shout. He smirked, dodging the assault and throwing a swift punch at the wrestler's face, who blocked it with his wrist.

"Paco!" shouted El Toro, dodging a kick to the stomach. "Get Senoras Terra and Yade to safety!"

"Right away, El Toro, sir!" replied Paco. He looked around for Jade. She was nowhere in sight. Flabbergasted, he turned back and saw the girl already sprinting towards the action. Paco hastily tried to catch up with her. "Wait for me, Yade!"

El Toro tackled his opponent with the brunt of his shoulder, but Drago remained on his feet, skidding back and leaving streaks of claw marks on the ground.

"No fair," observed the wrestler, he rushed forward, aiming a punch at his scaly head.

Drago caught the incoming fist with one clawed hand and grabbed onto El Toro's belt with the other one, grunting as he lifted the luchador into the air and tossing him into a pile of debris.

"El Toro!" cried Paco. The dragon turned to Terra, who was backing away in fear.

"Now, back to business," he said, cracking his knuckles. Terra picked up a dumbbell on the ground and chucked it at his head. Drago ducked easily and slid into a leg sweep, sending his demon cousin crashing onto her back and hopefully knock some sense into her.

"Hey, Scaly!"

Drago whipped around at the voice just in time for Jade's foot to catch his chin, sending him flying across the ring.

"Made you look," smirked Jade, landing gracefully on her feet. She joined where Paco was kneeling next to the female wrestler, trying to ease her up.

"Senora Terra! Are you okay?" cried Paco, shaking the girl's arm. Terra groaned and opened her eyes. They were glowing red.

"Uh oh," said Jade, backing up. "Not good."

She and Paco both scrambled back in alarm as Terra's skin began to harden into a brownish red rough texture, somewhat shredding her costume. Curved horns sprouted from her head and the girl's face began to distort till it vaguely resembles a lion's. The monstrous Terra looked like a smaller version of Dai Gui, the earth demon.

"Definitely not good," gulped Paco.

"CHAN!"

A sudden blast of fire at her feet nearly made Jade stumble, and she glanced over to see an annoyed Drago nursing his bruised jaw in one hand and holding a fireball with the other.

"Gotta go!" she said, making a break for the stairs with a fuming fire demon at her heels. El Toro pulled himself out of the wreckage and jogged up next to Paco.

"I think it's probably best not to ask her on a date," El Toro advised his mentee, staring at the monstrous creature in horror. He had not expected to come across any demons and magic animals or talisman nonsense since the last portal was closed. Paco looked pretty freaked out himself.

 _I need to go help Yade,_ thought Paco. But first, there was this matter to take care of…

Terra stood up and flexed her arm. The ground beneath them began to rumble and move to her command.

"It's good to be back," she grinned, lifting her arms and drawing large boulders from the ground, causing rippling cracks began to snake through the concrete floor of the stadium.

"Please stop!" exclaimed Paco, running up to her and waving his arms. "We don't wish to harm you, Senora Terra."

" _You_ harm _me?"_ guffawed the earth demon. "I'd like to see you try, lover boy." She lifted a boulder over her head, only to drop it again when El Toro tackled her from the side. He took hold of her thick wrist and grabbed a fistful of her costume in his other hand to pick her up.

"Adios!" he said, throwing her into the stands. Terra crashed heavily, breaking the entire two rows of seats in one landing. The luchador winced, looking at what was left of the stands.

"Sorry!" he said to no one in particular. A large chunk of wood was shoved aside, and Terra pulled herself up. Growling, she thrusted her arms forward, hurling boulders at the ring. Paco and El Toro leapt out of the way as the heavy stones imbed themselves into the spots where they stood seconds before. Terra cracked her knuckles.

"You'll regret ever challenging me," snarled the earth demon. "I'm the best fighter in this ring!" She quickly dug into the ground until only her curved horns were exposed, and headed toward her prey, resembling some kind a land shark.

El Toro heard the ground rumble before he felt it. He rolled out of the way as chunks of earth exploded from the ground and Terra leapt from the hole in the floor. A flying rock making contact with her rough head made the monster turned to glare at the person who threw it.

"No," declared Paco matter-of-factly, crossing his skinny arms. "El Toro Fuertes is the greatest."

"Oh?" sneered Terra, she raised her arms and sending another wave through the ground. A pair of chi blasts hit her chest, sending her stumbling back, flailing. Jackie and Tohru were at the doors, the latter holding a glowing blowfish.

"Gracias, my friend," said El Toro, flashing them a thumbs up. Jackie hurried over to help the luchador up.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess," said Jackie, looking around at the demolished stadium. "Looks like Wrestle Mania started a tad early this year."

"Where is Drago?" asked Tohru. El Toro and Paco gasped, suddenly remembering.

"Yade!" they exclaimed in shock.

"WHAT!" Tohru and Jackie cried simultaneously. Jackie grasped Paco's shoulder.

"Where did they go?" he asked frantically. Paco pointed to the stairs.

An annoyed growl drew their attention back on the demonized Terra. She got onto all fours and clawed at the ground like an angry bull, all but ready to charge.

"Go find Jade," instructed Tohru, he pulled out a small bag of ingredients from the pocket of his brown overalls. "I'll work on a banishing spell."

"And I'll keep her busy," declared El Toro, catching his fist in his palm.

Paco nodded, and took to the direction Jade ran with Jackie in tow. He just hoped they weren't too late...

* * *

Meanwhile, Jade sprinted up the stairs onto the balcony stands. She dashed through the rows of seats towards an empty divider.

 _Maybe that wasn't such a good idea,_ thought Jade, trying not to trip in the small aisle.

"Nowhere to run, Jade," Drago's voice growled from behind. Several streams of fire flew way over her head. Jade could not help but throw a smart remark over her shoulder, "You gotta work on your aim, Gecko-boy!" His knowing smile confused her until she looked ahead and saw the stands on fire and in pieces.

Stopping before she got too close to the flames, Jade turned back around to face her opponent in a defensive stance. Drago grinned, blocking the only exit.

Jade cursed inwardly for trapping herself between a fiery death by the burning stands or a fiery death by Drago's scaly butt.

"Ready for round two?" Drago challenged, slipping into fighting stance. Jade huffed.

"If I can beat demons and oni before, I think I can handle your little sparring match," she remarked with her trademark smirk. "Besides, can you even fight fair and square without using your little flamethrowers?"

Drago gave a dark chuckle.

"Oh, Jade...I won't be needing them," he said, and launched himself at her. Jade caught the punch and parried, throwing him over her shoulder. Drago landed on his feet in a stance and charged again. She blocked and parried every punch and jab with precision, feeling the enhanced strength and speed behind each move.

Drago tried to catch her off-guard with a hook punch, but Jade effortlessly dodged it by a hair. The fire demon found it slightly unnerving how well their fighting styles compliment each other - it was almost a dance.

Jade hopped back as his foot came down, snapping the bench in front of her into splinters. She jumped at him with a roundhouse.

"Hiyaaah!" The kick nailed him directly in the chest, and Drago reeled back with a loud grunt. Jade pursed her lips. He didn't even seem like he's trying too hard to harm her at all, she thought. Clearly, he was outmatched even with his demon cousin, so why just toy around instead of bringing some muscle like he did before?

"What are you trying to do with all these demon wakeup calls, anyway?" Jade demanded, hands on her hips. "It's only a matter of time before Tohru and Uncle send them on permanent family reunions." Drago looked annoyed for a second before he schooled his features to the usual old arrogance.

"It beats fighting my old man for all eternity," Drago shrugged. "So why not?" Jade frowned at his casual demeanor.

"Tch, right," she snarked, and leapt at him. Drago took that window of opportunity and caught her incoming kick in a firm hold with his tail. Jade growled.

"Seriously?" she deadpanned, trying to shake herself loose. When it was clear that he was not going to let go, Jade swung her other leg over in an attempt to kick his face. Drago caught her foot mid-swing and flung her back.

"As if I'm going to fall for that, shortstack," he said. Jade flailed her arms to regain her balance, managing to keep herself upright at the last second. Jade swung her fist at his head, but he dodged out of the way. Drago made the effort to yawn dramatically.

"Where did you learn to fight?" he scoffed. "The back of cereal box?"

Jade smirked, shooting out her leg and knocked him flat on his back.

"Only from a nice heaping box of Buttwhoop," Jade said, grinning. "All part of a complete, balanced breakfast." The girl vaulted onto Drago from the side. As the two began to grapple, making their way to the edge of the balcony, Jade saw something flying high speed at them from the corner of her eye.

"JADE!" Jackie and Paco's voices shouted from afar.

"What-" she began. Suddenly, a violent tremor rippling through the balcony caused them to pause in confusion.

Jade looked down to see one of Terra's boulders lodged into the supporting beam right below where she stood. The floor under her feet wobbled for a second. Jade glanced up to see a look of surprise flash over Drago's features before the ground beneath her gave away.

* * *

To be continued...Please R&R.


	7. Chapter 7

**Jade Chan Adventures**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. This particular chapter has a few references to various episodes in the series.

* * *

Jade vaguely heard Jackie calling her name over the sound of her own scream.

Everything seemed to slow down as Jade felt the balcony section collapsed under her feet and she felt her breath caught in her throat. Not the way she planned to go out.

 _I'm sorry, Jackie_ _,_ Jade thought mournfully as she came hurling down towards the sharp broken stands below.

Suddenly, a hand shot out and latched onto her arm in the last second. The brunette winced as she felt the limb almost popping out of its socket from the abrupt halt and her legs daggling in midair while the rest of the debris fell with a deafening crash beneath.

She glanced down at the pile of concrete and metal blow and gulped, heart racing like mad. _That was close…_

"Jade!" she heard Jackie shout above the noise.

Jade looked up and gasped in shock.

Drago was bracing himself over the railing, her forearm in a firm grasp.

The fire demon seemed to be shocked at himself for not putting a hit on his longtime nemesis then and there, but instead of doing just that - as Jade would have expected him to - Drago glared at her as if her near-accident personally offended him.

Jade gaped at him. It was only there for a split-second; maybe she might have imagined it, but Jade prided herself in her sharp sense of observation that never failed her yet. Drago was vexed, startled, angry even. But Jade could see what was in those intense ruby eyes; and she could see that Drago was scared for her that brief moment he let the emotion flash across his rough features. The dragon scowled at her.

"I'm not finished with you yet, Chan."

A realization hit her and she returned his scowl with one of her own. Of course he'd save her - gecko boy's ego would pummel if the girl who was the bane of his existence was ousted by a mere rock avalanche instead of being personally barbequed by him during one of his many attempts.

"Can't sleep at night unless you K.O. me yourself?" she scoffed, mustering up as much bravado as she could. Drago rolled his eyes.

"Don't tempt me," he muttered. Jade bit back a smart remark in case he changes his mind and decide to drop her.

He did not. Slowly, but surely, Drago pulled her up onto the balcony and carefully set Jade back on her feet without releasing her.

Still disoriented and heart racing from the shock of the fall, Jade suddenly came to a surprised Jackie standing a distance behind them with Paco tailing behind. The unanswered question in her uncle's troubled gaze was replaced with angry parental concern as his eyes darted to the dragon's grip on her wrist.

"Let her go, Drago," Jackie declared, reminding the fire demon he was outnumbered. Drago's tail twitched in irritation.

"Sorry, you didn't say the magic word," he spat.

Before Jade could stop him, Drago turned and blasted at the two with a large fireball.

"Guys!" Jade exclaimed, lurching forward. Jackie and Paco both yelped and fell to the floor to avoid the large torrent of flames. The fire hit the stands behind them, causing a tremendous explosion.

Jade angrily yanked her arm free from Drago's hold and tried to run past him, only for the fire demon to cut her off in a flash. He shot her an exasperated look.

"Just because I stopped you from turning into mincemeat doesn't mean you're off the hook, short stop," he growled, advancing on her. Jade snorted.

"Can't blame a girl for trying, Junior," she retorted waspishly, making him scowl at the hated nickname that her future self often used to taunt him. "I don't do that grateful damsel thing."

 _No, it wouldn't suit you, Jade,_ thought Drago, taking in the intensity of her amber gaze and powerful stance. Like a lioness...

She swiftly pounced and swung a fist at his head.

The fire demon eluded the blow with ease and immediately thrusting a palm-heel strike to her center with just enough force to send his opponent skidding back on her feet, even when she managed to blocked it.

"Leave her alone!"

Drago could sense the attack before it came and flipped around with a roundhouse to the boy's chest, causing him to fly back. Paco, unused to taking hits, wrapped his arms around his middle and coughed dryly.

"Paco!" Jade cried. Her uncle rushed to hook the boy's arm over his shoulder and lift him back on his feet.

 _This has gone on long enough,_ thought Jackie as he steadied Paco. He would not let the fire demon continue to harm the teenagers.

Drago growled and shook his head, torn between the flare of annoyance at the note of concern in her voice and confusion at the presence of that pesky emotion. Deciding to deal with it right away, Drago turned to flash a toothy grin at Jade. "Say goodbye to your little boyfriend."

Drago blasted a large stream of fire at the boy just as Jade socked him hard in his bruised jaw and making him stagger forward.

Paco yelled in surprise, leaping out of the way a second in time to avoid being barbequed. Jackie ran ahead.

The archaeologist evaded the attack by jumping into a spin over the flames and using the momentum to land a tornado kick on Drago.

His foot made contact with the off guard fire demon's chest and Drago flew back, landing roughly in what was left of the stands, smoking tendrils escaping the sides of his mouth.

"Thanks Senor Jackie," said Paco with a grin and rubbed at his chest where he was kicked. He had a newfound awe at how the archaeologist and his niece managed to always come out mostly unscathed when running into battle. He followed the two to the exit.

"Let's leave before the loco lizard man wakes up."

"We have to help Tohru and El Toro banish the earth demon child," said Jackie, leading them down the stairs. They could buy some time to get rid of her with Drago out cold. "Uncle will be arriving soon from the hotel."

Jade smirked, "With half the J-Team and two chi wizards here, there would be no way ol' lizard lips and Terra the terror can keep up."

"Drago is a demon sorcerer, Jade," chided Jackie. "And a dangerous one at that. We don't know if he will pull another surprise spell on us like he did before."

Jade sobered, remembering how Drago had seemingly pulled an incantation out of nowhere to extract all eight demon chi from his treacherous old lackeys. What came next was not fun.

A resounding crash in the center ring drew their attention back to the other fight taking place.

Terra had dodged Tohru's chi blast and burrowed a large crater in the center of the ring. Jackie gulped as he spotted curved horns poking from the ground and heading straight towards him. He jumped just as Terra shot up from the ground with a snarl.

"Stand still, pest!" she roared, throwing twin stones at him. Jackie managed to squeeze in between the two.

"No, I'm sorry, I do not think I should do that!" he shouted and tried to run around the monster. Terra grinned and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, bringing Jackie up to eye level.

"Going somewhere?" she asked and raised a fist in front of his face. Jackie gulped and chuckled nervously.

"Away, yes," he said and lifted his legs and kicked Terra off. Paco quickly jumped into a crouch behind the earth demon, tripping her onto her back. Jade popped up next to Tohru.

"Whadya need, T?"

"I will need something that belongs to the earth demon," responded Tohru, preparing a green potion. Jade bit her lip and surveyed the mounds of debris and numerous craters decorating the stadium.

"And that would be..?"

"It's like finding a needle in a haystack," groaned Jackie, looking around frantically. "We don't even know what belongs to her."

Paco perked up.

"The dumbbell! It's right over…" he stopped, pointing to the weights on the far opposite side of the ring where Terra had thrown it. "There."

The boy barely took a step forward when he was yanked back by a large hand. Not a second later, a large stone landed right in front of him.

"Heh, gracias," he murmured to Tohru. Terra stepped into the center of the ring, blocking the dumbbell from sight. She cracked her neck twice and leered at the group maliciously.

"Looks like the odds are against you," Terra growled. The sound of heavy footsteps made her pause momentarily.

"It is you who are outnumbered," declared El Toro, stopping behind her. Terra looked over her shoulder lazily.

"It would not matter, as you're still outmatched," the earth demon pointed out, turning to face him fully. She frowned at the luchador's knowing look. "What?"

"Tag team!" shouted Paco. Running up behind Terra, he tackled her middle in a hold. She did not budge.

"Hilarious," Terra growled, as she grabbed a handful of his shirt.

"El Toro, tag me in!" Paco yelled. Without much trouble, she pulled him loose and tossed him aside. Suddenly a pair of chi blasts hit her between the shoulder blades, sending her stumbling forward. El Toro charged, tackling Terra in the gut and sending her sprawling on her back.

She shoved him off with grunt. "Is that the best you can…"

Terra stopped when a large shadow cast over her. Tohru came crashing down with a body slam, effectively crushing the earth demon.

"Ooh," hissed Jade with a mock wince. "That's going to leave a mark."

"That was a very good move, my friend," agreed El Toro, helping the massive sumo up. "Have you ever considered becoming a luchador?"

Paco jogged across the ring and picked up the dumbbell, struggling visibly with the heavy weight. He staggered back and handed it to Tohru, who held it up easily in one hand and poured the green potion on.

" _Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao_ ," he began chanting as the liquid soon covered every surface. The dumbbell slowly glowed green with chi magic. " _Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai-"_

"You really don't wanna finish that," growled a voice.

The J-Team all leapt back as a massive fireball hit the ground, lighting up the ring. With the incantation disrupted, the dumbbell stopped glowing in Tohru's hand.

Drago leapt the wide distance from the balcony, landing in the ring on all fours.

Jade groaned inwardly. _Duh! Superhuman healing abilities._

Terra grunted slightly from the crater that outlined her monstrous form.

"What have you been doing, cousin?" she growled, rolling onto her side and pushing herself up slowly. Drago groaned and shook his head.

"You don't even wanna know," he sighed, annoyed. It would be hard to explain to his cousin that he had just saved a Chan and then got his butt handed to him by another Chan all within five minutes. He then turned to the group of humans.

"The gang's all here," he observed out loud, flashing a toothy grin. "Now the fun can really begin."

On cue, Terra slammed her palms down, causing ripples to snake through the ground and widen.

 _Oh no!_ though Jackie, recalling the last time he had used the earth demon chi on Strikemaster Ice and his gang years ago.

"RUN!" Jackie yelled, grabbing Jade and running as fast he could. He trusted the others to follow suit.

They weren't fast enough. The cracks in the ground opened wide enough for the J-Team to fall into. With a final push, Jackie gave Jade enough boost to leap out before the ground closed in from all sides, effectively trapping him, El Toro, Tohru, and Paco from the shoulders down.

Jackie looked around desperately, breathing out a sigh of relief when he spotted the green potion-covered dumbbell still lying on the side aboveground. He needed to distract the two demon sorcerers from getting rid of the only object able to banish the earth demon.

Drago sauntered to his captives, positively smug.

"Everybody comfy?" he asked, taking in the pained expressions and poisonous glares. "No? Good."

"Shall we do the honors?" asked Terra, lifting a giant boulder to crush the trapped humans. Drago grinned victoriously, ignoring the slight twinge of pain in his jaw from Jade's earlier double whammy.

Drago suddenly froze as blatant realization hit him. "Where's..?"

"And here comes T-girl with her takedown dropkick!"

"No!" Drago shouted. But it was too late.

Terra barely had time to register the blur coming from behind when Jade's foot slammed into her. The earth demon fell hard, the large boulder she was holding landing on top of her. Everyone winced at the heavy thud that echoed through the stadium.

Terra laid spread-eagled under the stone, unmoving.

"Ouch," muttered El Toro.

"Go Yade!" crowed Paco loudly. If his arms were free, he would have fist pumped the air at such a perfect hit. Jackie and Tohru sighed with relief, glad to not be turned into pancakes.

Drago gritted his teeth and surveyed the girl who always managed to get under his scales. "Always one for surprises, Chan?"

He began to circle her, eyes sharp and blazing. Jade smirked and mirrored his moves. "Just like old times, Scaly."

Those amber eyes had an intense glint to them as she held up her fists in a fighting stance. Drago growled and shook away the memory of the same pair of intense amber eyes that unwaveringly matched his ruby gaze before in a different battle.

 _Sorry Scaly, I'm not the sentimental type._

"Tch, you might have gotten Terry, but you're not getting Terra," he shouted, his claws glowing red hot. Nevermind that he did not truly want to hurt Jade, but he needed to get ride of this persistent thorn in his side. Jackie piped up from where he was trapped on the ground.

"Jade, be careful!" he yelled. Jade scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully.

"Don't worry, Jackie," she said, turning to smirk at her opponent. "Uncle has it covered."

Drago quirked a brow at her, annoyed. "What?"

"Go Uncle!" Jade shouted.

"No-!" Drago shouted and turned, only to be cut off as a blast of powerful chi magic hit him in the chest. Drago flew back into one of Terra's craters, landing with a thud.

Uncle winked at Jade, waving his blowfish. The shopkeeper made his way into the destroyed fighting ring, eyeing the hands and feet sticking out from under the large boulder with slight interest.

"Ah yes," said Uncle, adjusting his spectacles. "I can sense the very bad chi from the child of Dai Gui, the earth demon."

"Senor Uncle, can you lend us a hand, er, shovel?" asked El Toro, awkwardly wiggling in the dirt.

"Do not rush Uncle! You want to banish earth demon? Yes?" demanded Uncle, wagging his blowfish. "Then let Uncle figure out what item for banishment spell!"

El Toro shared a longsuffering look with Jackie, but decided to stay silent. Tohru glanced at the fallen dumbbell.

"Actually, Sensei, I have already made the potion. We just need to recite the incantation," he said, nodding to the item.

Uncle looked at his apprentice, impressed. Jade lugged the weights over and pointed it at the unconscious Terra. "Ready when you are, Unc."

Uncle waved his blowfish and began chanting loudly, " _Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao_ _Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao..."_

The dumbbells shot out a green beam that consumed Terra, who was beginning to stir.

"Wha-" she slurred, feeling her body rising from the ground and red eyes flashing open in alarm. "What-!"

The red portal that appeared above her, and she clawed at the ground desperately. Terra howled as the vortex slowly consumed her and sealed up as she entered, leaving a deafening silence behind.

Everyone gasped as the ground suddenly rumbled, and the cracks widened in the ground, freeing those who were trapped. Jade grabbed Jackie and Paco's hands to help them out while the heavier El Toro and Tohru crawled out and shook out their numbed limbs.

"Thanks Uncle- _ow!"_ Jackie yelped when the old man's fingers thwacked his forehead. "What was that for?!"

"For not guarding shop well enough!" Uncle yelled back. "Uncle has been shoplifted!"

The J-Team followed the shopkeeper out of the destroyed stadium, feeling bemused. El Toro pulled out his phone to dial a limo; they were a large group after all, a cab would not do.

Tohru looked to his mentor. "What exactly did the thief took, Sensei?"

"A very important book!" snapped Uncle. He furrowed his bushy brows, troubled. "The same one Shendu took before using Valmont...a book on where to find powerful magical artifacts."

Tohru paled. "The same one he used to find the Panku Box to unleash the other seven demon sorcerers, Sensei?"

"Yes," Uncle said. "We must find out who took it and why."

"It must be the fire demon," stated El Toro confidently. But Uncle shook his head.

"The book is protected with good chi magic," he explained. "Uncle cast the spell after the book was retrieved from the clutches of dragon teeny bopper's father. He would not be able to touch it."

"There's one thing we do know," said Jackie gravely. "Whoever took it is up to no good."

"Hello!" Jade scoffed. "It could only be Trent! You saw how suspicious he was acting before when he and his goons were stalking our front door."

Paco and El Toro shared confused glances and turned to Jackie, who explained what happened.

The sound of engine revving alerted the group of a vehicle arriving. Jade perked up as a long stretch limo pulled up in front of them, the long door sliding open.

"Cool!" she said, beaming. Suddenly the night did not seem so bad...

"Thank you, El Toro," said Jackie. They needed to get back to San Francisco as soon as possible to find out where the thief had went.

"A celebrity must know who to contact to make a fancy appearance," said El Toro with a wink. The large vehicle seemed to sag a little under the added weight, but otherwise, moved fast to get to the hotel.

"What?" inquired Jade when she noticed Jackie looking at her strangely. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Drago saved you earlier," her uncle said, getting straight to the point. "I am glad you are not hurt, but why save his enemy?"

Jade scoffed. "Isn't it obvious, Jackie? Gecko boy wanted to out the hit on me himself."

"Even so," Jackie murmured, shaking his head. "That was very strange."

When he did not inquire further, Jade shrugged off the subject and pulled out two bottles of grape soda from the cooler and handed one to Tohru.

"To another J-Team victory," she said smiling and raising her bottle. Tohru mirrored her with a warm smile.

"To victory," he said. The two chugged their soda enthusiastically. Paco suddenly nudged her shoulder and she turned to him.

"Um, Yade?" he started, nervous. When she turned to him, Paco held out the bouquet of poppies from earlier, still perfectly intact. Before they left, he had found the flowers lying safe on the stands near the front, untouched by the chaos around them.

"Thank you for earlier," he said, the tips of his ears visibly red under the neon lights of the limo. "You were pretty cool."

Jade accepted the flowers with a smile. "Thanks, Paco."

Paco nodded and turned away, blushing.

While the others talked, Jade's mind wandered back to Drago. Jackie was right. Why save his greatest enemy? Ever since she first laid eyes on his scaly hide, he had been trying to do away with her and the rest of the Chan Clan, ever since he followed her future self back into the past (her present). Worse of all, he seemed to enjoy every second of it.

So what made her any different?

She was sure she didn't imagine it. For that one moment, he was truly concerned for her.

 _Not that it mattered,_ thought Jade sourly. He still attempted to roast her afterwards. But if she were to be honest with herself, Jade was sure he did not really attempt to harm her. With all that superhuman strength and speed, he could have easily done it, as she recalled the ferocity of his fight with Future Jade when they had first arrived for the Dragon Teeth. Now, he did not seem to be putting in half the effort nor animosity as before.

Even the way they fought and taunted each other almost seemed like - dare she say it - _flirting_...

 _Yeah right_ , thought Jade, _When Drago turns over a new leaf...which will be never._

She suddenly thought back to the incident in the library and blushed, remembering how close he had been to her. Jade frowned. _I won't let gecko boy take me by surprise like that anymore. Time to up my game._

Perhaps she'd better have a little chat with him...

* * *

 **Much later...**

Back at the junkyard, Drago paced back and forth, fire shooting from the sides of his mouth. Finally, the fire demon lost his cool and blasted an old fridge, creating a huge explosion.

"I almost had them!" he shouted, and sat down, growling. "What happened back there?!"

As much as he hated to admit it, disappointment was burning him just as much as anger was. He had underestimated them again, and it had lead to his defeat. He shouldn't have expected any less from the Chan clan.

Despite age working against him, Jackie was still as skilled a martial artist if not slightly less agile. Even the sumo had joined the old geezer in becoming a chi wizard. And Jade...

 _Jade..._

Drago repressed a growl. The memory of those fierce amber eyes seared through him unlike any fire magic he encountered before.

The fire demon had spent the past five years brewing in anger, ready to take revenge if the chance ever came around. His plan backfired, obviously, because why else would Drago find himself missing their old fights and tauntings? It was the boredom and loneliness from the Netherworld that caused this longing for interaction.

Jade was a formidable opponent, testing him in fighting skills and wit and prowess in magic. She viewed herself as his equal in every way.

He gave another irritated sigh, an uncomfortable sensation creeping under his scales. It was one thing to toy around and banter during a fight, but to go out of his way to save her when all he wanted to do was rid himself of her persistent meddling in his plans…

Drago had felt something snap in him earlier at the sight of her falling. It was not anything new, but before, he had always half-expected her to leap out of the way of an incoming fireball or for her uncle to swoop in at the last second to bring her out of harm's way. There had been no way for her to leap out of the way in time and any help was far from reach the moment she started falling. He did the first thing that came to mind, which was to jump over the railing headfirst and grab the brat before she got turned into a very bloody pancake.

The realization hit him like a blow, stunning him. _No…no, no, no, no…_

He could admit that Jade had peeked his interest more than any other human he'd came in contact with. He could admit that she was a challenge both in wit and in battle. He could even admit - _grudgingly_ \- that she was striking with her soft raven hair and lithesome body toned after years of training and her saucy tongue.

But there could be no possible way that he'd actually care for his worse enemy.

Drago rubbed at his temples, feeling a migraine coming on. He decided to push away the matter temporarily. Now he had to focus on successfully awakening the next five demon cousins without the Chans' interference. As much as Drago hate to admit it, solo was no way to go if he wanted to succeed.

"Hmm, maybe I really do need some," he shuddered. "... _sidekicks._ _"_

The fire demon thought back to the gargantuan failures that were the Enforcers and Ice and his crew. Drago sighed. _Here we go again_.

He slowed down his breathing and closed his eyes, hoping that he would not regret what he was about to do next.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered darkly and began meditating. After a few moments, he conjured a fiery image of Shendu in front of him. The elder fire demon quirked a brow at his son from the other side of the magical barrier., planes away from the human world.

"I didn't not expect you to summon me so early, boy," Shendu rasped. Drago dived straight to the point.

"I need backup," he stated. "Good ones."

Shendu sneered at the younger fire demon. "And so you decided to come crawling back to your father for assistance?" Drago gritted his teeth, biting back a scathing remark. "Your pride has blinded you. My brothers were not nearly pleased to be reunited with their offspring again so soon."

Drago scoffed. "Figures."

"You have lost valuable allies," his father growled, pointing a claw at him. "Do not take this matter lightly, boy."

"Are you going to help me or not, old man?" demanded Drago impatiently, crossing his arms.

"Impudent brat," hissed Shendu. "You would be wise to respect me if you wish to use my servants."

The dragon lifted a claw, drawing an intricate symbol in front of him. Drago quirked a brow at the sign, confused. "What is it?"

"A summoning key," responded Shendu with a smirk.

* * *

To be continued...R&R!


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